Mining Publication: Proceedings: New Technology for Ground Control in Retreat Mining

• Coal mining
• Mine design
• Mobile roof supports
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Pillar design
• Retreat mining

The proceedings of a series of technology transfer seminars entitled New Technology for Ground Control in Retreat Mining sponsored by NIOSH were presented. The seminars, which were presented at Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Norton, Virginia, Pikeville, Kentucky, Charleston, West Virginia, and Evansville, Indiana in the Spring of 1997, described and discussed several new, practical technologies developed by the NIOSH Pittsburgh and Spokane Research Centers to improve safety during pillar retreat operations in underground mines. Papers presented at the seminars included a statistical overview of retreat mining of coal pillars in United States coal mines, retreat mining pillar stability, preventing massive pillar collapses in coal mines, pillar design and coal strength, a new laminated overburden model for coal mine designs, monitoring mobile roof supports in mines, and performing full scale performance evaluations of mobile roof supports. Field and laboratory tests of mobile roof supports conducted at 20 mines throughout the Eastern United States were described.